What's included

Technical Details

Brand: Beadlock

Manufacturer Part Number: TAMPJ-38K

Weight (lbs): 7.9500

Product Warnings

WARNING This product can expose you to chemicals which are known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov/product

I have a multi size tenoning jig which I can place on my floor model drill press. It's okay but it is time consuming having to set it up and then take it down again to make use of the drill press. With the Beadlock Pro, I don't need to make a tenon on a table saw and match it to the mortise.

I have a multi size tenoning jig which I can place on my floor model drill press. It's okay but it is time consuming having to set it up and then take it down again to make use of the drill press. With the Beadlock Pro, I don't need to make a tenon on a table saw and match it to the mortise.

BEST ANSWER:No, the best you will be able to do is 3.5". The jaws are 3 7/8 inches but the screw down clamp uses about a 1/4". It MAY BE POSSIBLE to replace the guide rods (silver rods held to the jaws with cap screws in the photos) with longer ones, but I am pretty sure that would void the warranty and I am not going to take mine apart to try it.

BEST ANSWER:No, the best you will be able to do is 3.5". The jaws are 3 7/8 inches but the screw down clamp uses about a 1/4". It MAY BE POSSIBLE to replace the guide rods (silver rods held to the jaws with cap screws in the photos) with longer ones, but I am pretty sure that would void the warranty and I am not going to take mine apart to try it.

In my opinion No, nor would it create a strong joint. Use large dowels and make a template from a block of scrap wood the same width as the stock with pre-drilled guide holes from your drill press or 90 degree drill

I am building a dining room table out of walnut. I am fairly new into woodworking, but I have put in a ton of time on this project, and it been turning out great. I decided to buy and use the beadlock pro with 1/2" dowels/tenon stock. After measuring over and over I still ended up not lining up two of my leg to apron connections. They are centered, but the holes and off very minimal, maybe 1/8" at the most. That little of an off measure makes to table to line up and sit flat. Any suggestions on what I can do without keep drilling holes with the danger of the same problem?

BEST ANSWER:Yes I have done this many times for long miters, with the jig as it ships (no special mounting system). For 3/8 the miter cut needs to be over 2" long, 2 1/2 would be better. Cut your miter. Place the miter edge up into the jig. You will need to determine the best alignment (left/right) so the drill holes are towards the inside of the miter, where there is more depth. Precisely note your alignment left right, since the second miter will need to match it, but you will be coming form the opposite angle. Suggest trying on scrap first.

BEST ANSWER:Yes I have done this many times for long miters, with the jig as it ships (no special mounting system). For 3/8 the miter cut needs to be over 2" long, 2 1/2 would be better. Cut your miter. Place the miter edge up into the jig. You will need to determine the best alignment (left/right) so the drill holes are towards the inside of the miter, where there is more depth. Precisely note your alignment left right, since the second miter will need to match it, but you will be coming form the opposite angle. Suggest trying on scrap first.

You can make the mortise with the bead lock while your stock is still square. Then make the miter cut, just make sure you line up your stock with precision and watch your depth. After you make your miter cut, you should have both mortise lined up and you can measure for the tenon.

BEST ANSWER:In principle yes, but you may have to get creative how to hold/clamp the fixture to the face board as you will undoubtedly exceed the width capacity of the Rockler jig. You may have to remove the blue clamp/side plates and attach angle iron brackets and clamp the angle iron brackets to your face board so you can drill the beadlock holes

BEST ANSWER:In principle yes, but you may have to get creative how to hold/clamp the fixture to the face board as you will undoubtedly exceed the width capacity of the Rockler jig. You may have to remove the blue clamp/side plates and attach angle iron brackets and clamp the angle iron brackets to your face board so you can drill the beadlock holes

Thanks. I'm thinking a set shelf so I would need the strength of a tenon. I don't think biscuits would give me the strength I need. This tool looks awesome for edge to edge but I guess I'll build a jig for dowells for my face to edge.

BEST ANSWER:I am going to make two assumptions based on your question. One, you are going to also bevel the tops & bottoms of the rails so that they also splay outward and are parallel, and Two, that the tops of the legs will be square profile and have a compound cut (the inside corner will be long, and the outside corner will be the shortest). Yes, as long as you will be drilling parallel to the faces of the rail board, but you will need to be extra careful in your layout. The Beadlock tenon stock will travel perpendicular to the end of the rail, so, at an angle to the grain, but must travel parallel to the faces of the rail so that it doesn't come through the faces and show. The tenon stock will travel like normal in the leg of the stand, but you are not going to have a good reference face in the end grain due to the compound cut there. Layout is key, I suggest you layout the entire tenon on each piece on the outside so that you can visualize where it needs to be and how it travels, give yourself extra space above it and below it, because in the leg it will be traveling uphill towards the shortest corner, but in the rail you will be traveling downhill towards the lowest edge (which bevels backwards and is shorter on the inside face). It may make sense to not do the top & bottom bevels on the rail or the compound bevel on the legs until after you have done the Beadlock mortises and leave that board wider than necessary (you WILL need to cut the ends of the rails to properly do this, though). Since you are not going to be able to use an end or corner as reference like you can with a square project, after you do the layout, you will need to make yourself a reference point/lines to work from with the Beadlock. You will use that set of lines for all the mortises so all the mortises will be drilled from the same reference line. You will need to drill the rails slowly because you will be fighting the grain. Good Luck! In your case definitely Measure Twice and Cut Once!

BEST ANSWER:I am going to make two assumptions based on your question. One, you are going to also bevel the tops & bottoms of the rails so that they also splay outward and are parallel, and Two, that the tops of the legs will be square profile and have a compound cut (the inside corner will be long, and the outside corner will be the shortest). Yes, as long as you will be drilling parallel to the faces of the rail board, but you will need to be extra careful in your layout. The Beadlock tenon stock will travel perpendicular to the end of the rail, so, at an angle to the grain, but must travel parallel to the faces of the rail so that it doesn't come through the faces and show. The tenon stock will travel like normal in the leg of the stand, but you are not going to have a good reference face in the end grain due to the compound cut there. Layout is key, I suggest you layout the entire tenon on each piece on the outside so that you can visualize where it needs to be and how it travels, give yourself extra space above it and below it, because in the leg it will be traveling uphill towards the shortest corner, but in the rail you will be traveling downhill towards the lowest edge (which bevels backwards and is shorter on the inside face). It may make sense to not do the top & bottom bevels on the rail or the compound bevel on the legs until after you have done the Beadlock mortises and leave that board wider than necessary (you WILL need to cut the ends of the rails to properly do this, though). Since you are not going to be able to use an end or corner as reference like you can with a square project, after you do the layout, you will need to make yourself a reference point/lines to work from with the Beadlock. You will use that set of lines for all the mortises so all the mortises will be drilled from the same reference line. You will need to drill the rails slowly because you will be fighting the grain. Good Luck! In your case definitely Measure Twice and Cut Once!

Hi James - I cannot provide you a direct and specific answer to your challenging question. I am just starting to "play" with Beadlock on scraps before I commit to the move valuable pieces of wood I have been saving. Also, my objective to make a dining room table - a far less complex challenge to yours.

What I have learned is that the device is very versatile and with some simple longer screws, etc., you can quite possibly make it work for you. Rockler will refund your purchase if you find you cannot adapt it to your project.

it can. I would create a jig to clamp the 4 degree leg. cut two opposing pieces to sandwich the leg between. then line up the depth of the motive accordingly. the beadlock clamp will then be square but the leg will be at a 4 degree angle. I've used the system to make doors and the strength is incredible. good luck!

BEST ANSWER:After research and thought about the the (2) beadlock fixtures I chose to buy the "Beadlock Pro" kit as it accommodates wider stock with greater ease, its kit box allows the user to purchase and store the other sizes and accessories.

While the plastic tri-wing knobs work well in many applications due to my larger hands I was skinning my knuckles too much and replaced the knobs with socket hex-head cap screws and use an Allen hex wrench to tighten those fasteners.

To insure that the beadlock fixture does not move during use I use an Irwin Quick Clamp for added insurance.

The sale price of $109.99 is a great offering and this system produces solid, well aligned joints in minimal time.

Then I can assume you would buy it again. I'm relying on you to give me the low down on this product. What you say will determine if it's a go for me. I appreciate your input and thanks for taking the time to reply.

BEST ANSWER:After research and thought about the the (2) beadlock fixtures I chose to buy the "Beadlock Pro" kit as it accommodates wider stock with greater ease, its kit box allows the user to purchase and store the other sizes and accessories.

While the plastic tri-wing knobs work well in many applications due to my larger hands I was skinning my knuckles too much and replaced the knobs with socket hex-head cap screws and use an Allen hex wrench to tighten those fasteners.

To insure that the beadlock fixture does not move during use I use an Irwin Quick Clamp for added insurance.

The sale price of $109.99 is a great offering and this system produces solid, well aligned joints in minimal time.

Then I can assume you would buy it again. I'm relying on you to give me the low down on this product. What you say will determine if it's a go for me. I appreciate your input and thanks for taking the time to reply.

BEST ANSWER:I have done this but I also abuse my workbench. Saying that I also would recommend drilling and countersinking a lag bolt 90 degrees into the tenon. No matter what I am doing the bench does not move!

BEST ANSWER:I have done this but I also abuse my workbench. Saying that I also would recommend drilling and countersinking a lag bolt 90 degrees into the tenon. No matter what I am doing the bench does not move!

BEST ANSWER:The parts that come with the kit are for the 3/8" mortises, there are two additional parts kits available for 1/2" and 1/4" mortises that have the drill block, paring block for square mortises, drill bit, and stop collar for each size. I attached the Rockler items to this response.

BEST ANSWER:The parts that come with the kit are for the 3/8" mortises, there are two additional parts kits available for 1/2" and 1/4" mortises that have the drill block, paring block for square mortises, drill bit, and stop collar for each size. I attached the Rockler items to this response.

Reviews

Experienced a slight problem using the Beadlock Pro; the star knob used to tighten the clamp that holds your stock is made of plastic and without a metal insert. After just a few uses, the star knob's plastic threads stripped and I'll have to modify the tool to be able to continue using it. A shame as it's otherwise a nice tool.

I have now used the Beadlock Pro for a weekend and cannot give it more than a 3, which is a shame since it would take very little improvement to move it to a 5. When working with 3/4 material, my only complaint was that the drill block carrier was misaligned about 1/64 of an inch, so that while I could get aligned to the middle of a 3/4 mark on one side, the other would be off by about 1/32 to 1/64 of an inch. There should be some way to adjust it. The primary annoyance I had was with the clamping system. The clamp with the round cymbal on the end will move the piece while tightening unless you hold with two hands - then what do you use to tighten. This is particularly a problem if you are trying to clamp at the edge of a piece. However, the clamp is totally unacceptable if you are working with larger pieces. I was using the Pro for 1-1/2&quot; legs for a nightstand and it required two hands to hold the material since as I tried to clamp down the clamp would move the material and result in bad alignment if you are not careful. This can be very annoying if you are trying to be very precise to have the end of the stile match the top of the rail. It is a shame that such a well thought out tool let's a cheap clamp reduce its effectiveness. If anyone knows of a better clamping tool or of a way to better align the drill block, maybe Rockler can make it available.

I have found the Beadlock a great device that needs some more development. The sandpaper on the side is a must. The clamp is not the problem as much as the alluminum sides are not strong enough and bend under pressure. This causes the drill to be slanted to one side slightly. I found that if you snug the clamp and use clamps on the sides the system performs fine. Not sorry I bought it, it does give nice joints it is just not strong enough. I should have bought the basic beadlock where you have to use clamps anyway.

Worked well on real project AFTER I practiced with it on some scrap. It does not always give you the most perfect fit with the tenons, but that can sometimes be if the tenors aren't perfect.

Here's what I found:

* As with so many things, patience. It's best to make absolutely sure it's well lined up. This might mean - especially to center the carriages - that you make sure to extend some center marking lines on your workpiece. Of course, if many pieces are the same width, you only have to do this once.

* Go slow on the drilling and back out the waste as you drill. Make sure as you get faster to not just do a 'hit and run' on the holes. Give them a good proper drilling, move the block and do it again. As long as you make sure the block is secure and in place, this should give you a nice fit with the tenon.

* Consider a corded drill. Like my pocket hole jig, I find it best to drill the holes with a reasonably well powered corded drill as opposed to cordless. Cordless works, and is - I find - great for driving, but for drilling a lot of heavy duty hardwood holes, it's sometimes better to go corded. Things get sloppy when a battery is running down.

* I found that this isn't just about using a full size or even partial tenon. I needed to attach some corbels to some side posts on a bookcase. So I cut some 1/4" width tenons just to line them up great before gluing and clamping. The tenons helped lock these in place so I could clamp these odd shaped parts without having them slip around or need to manufacture a temporary caul I'd only use once.

Overall, I'm happy with it. It's a bit faster than doing multiple dowels with a doweling jig, and while I've never made a traditional mortise and tenon - and don't really intend to - I can't imagine how much more time that would take.

Compared to the Domino, or the expensive router fixtures for loose tenons, this is cheap. The tools finish is good, well thought out, and other than loose bolts was ready to work. I had to figure out the instructions, but it does excellent work.

As far as its overall operation, once I got the hang of the setup, it worked very well. However, the method of clamping the wood to the tool is sorely lacking. If you don't bear down on the clamping screw, the wood will move when drilling the in between holes. If you do bear down, it will mar the wood, and the knob will unscrew from the threaded rod instead of releasing the wood. We shouldn't have to make alterations to a new tool in order to make it work properly.

I just like to build stuff and get it together. The craft is interesting to me, but I don't need to be struggling with mortising joints. (Same as I've got a jig for dovetails, I don't do them by hand.) Maybe it's cheating. Maybe the big kid woodworkers will tease me, but I've found this thing pretty sold once you get the hang of it.

I've used it to join long edges together for table tops and side panels, and dresser legs to rails, and so on. As with most woodworking, the key to getting this thing right is to measure well. And don't get complacent with which side you've done first when you have to loosen, move and tighten down the paring block. (If you're doing a lot of these, you tend to get into a zone - or I do - and can screw it up.)

The joints made with the beadlock made the joints solid and sturdy even using 3/4"x 2" wood components at 12" o.c. in a 5'-0"x 5'-0" frame. I only nailed the frame at the studs to anchor it to the wall.

Rock solid joints. But you need to take your time marking everything carefully. Follow the instructions and you will be fine. Here are my tips: 1 Use a corded drill 2 Drill slowly in and out 3 Check stop collar periodically as the pounding can make it move 4 Clean out the holes afterwards with a small chisel or flat-head screw driver.Jeff Korbman

Buy one. It'll pay for itself in no time if you're a pro and time is money.

Simple, easy to learn, easy to use, mistakes happen but they are just because you're not taking your time.

This has enabled me to create amazingly accurate, clean and extremely strong floating tenon joints in a fraction of the time it takes to go the traditional route and with the added bonus that the shape of the tenons resist racking.

My first set of beadlock holes ended up being done incorrectly - user error, but easy to make the mistake. Take special care to read the instructions thoroughly and do a couple test runs. Once you get the low down on how to do these right they really are nice. The product is very nicely machined - would recommend.

Purchased the Beadlock 3/8&quot; kit initially but added the 1/4&quot; later. I used the 3/8&quot; for a bed headboard and two bedside tables. Everything worked great yielding firm tight joints. Be sure that your measurements are exact and the results will be great. I have used dowels as well as biscuits in the past but this beats all!

Super system. Very easy to set up and use. Makes a strong joint. I practiced on a few pieces of scrap and then used the kit to build a porch glider bench. Turned out just great. Everybody wants one. I just ordered the 1/2&quot; adapter Kit also. (I started with the 3/8&quot; kit) Take time with your layout lines and line the jig up with its marking lines and you can't miss!

Markings are a bit difficult to line up --but, does work great if you're very careful. I use it mostly with standard dowels, works great for that.The stock thickness markings are a bit sensitive and not exactly accurate. Would be nice if markings on tool were easier to line up the stock. I would recommend this tool.

The jig works well enough to accomplish some advanced joinery. I have used both the 3/8 and 1/2 inch products. When using the jig on narrow poards, the single clamping device is a bit less than desireable. It would be nice to have two clamp screws rather than the one. In addition, the one screw tends to bend slightly sometimes moveing the piece being clamped. Extra care in the clamping process takes care of that. The unit is beefy and impressively built. I would certainly recommend it.

Great jig! Here's a couple tips.1. This also makes a great doweling jig.2. Yes, it is a little difficult to get perfect alignment, but... when drilling for mortises centered in the edge of a workpiece, get it a close as you can, then &quot;flip&quot; the jig around and re-drill in a second pass. Just as running a edge mortise thru a table saw twice, this will place the mortise perfectly in the center.

I got my BeadLock Pro last week, and it is my new best friend. I built an end table using it and with the exception of one misaligned tenon (completely my fault), everything worked perfectly. My order was also received 2 or 3 days sooner than I expected to get it.Thanks for the great service and product.

This jig is a must-have for wood workers. My first project was building a replacement six pane window using the jig for my mortice and tenon joints and I was very pleased with the results. It's very well made and fairly simple to set up and use. I started with the 3/8 and 1/2 inch guides and have since added the 1/4 inch guide.

Does a great job on making face frames for cabinet doors. The two thumb screws should be a single lever cam action if feasible. I also feel there should be two clamp screws.Not bad to work with once you get the hang of it.Still quite time consuming. Overall, I'm very pleased with the tool.Mine was missing a set screw and had two 3/8&quot; stop collars and no 1/4&quot;.I ordered all three sizes. The local Rockler dealer handled the situation to my satisfaction.

Very simple system, makes really strong joints, The instructions were above average. The only thing I think could make it better is the inclusion of a couple tenons. I got it as a gift and couldn't use it till made a trip back to Rockler. But that is nitpicking! I really like this tool.

I recently picked up the Beadlock Pro and was impressed from the moment I opened the hardshell case. The jig itself is very sturdy and exeptionally well made. The instructions are clear and easy to follow and I was making perfect loose tenon joints in a matter of minutes. At the time I was half way through a project of 4 tables that I was making for my living room. The first two tables had incorporated traditional mortise and tenon joints using my table saw and a plunge router to make. I used the Beadlock system on the final two endtables and had all of the joints completed in half the time it would have taken to do them the traditional way. I used the pre-made tenon stock and it fit perfectly. I do plan on getting the router bit that will allow me to make my own tenon stock. If you find yourself using a mortise and tenon joint fairly often, this is a must have for your woodshop.

I would give this tool a 4.5. Makes great, tightfitting Tenon Joints with little fuss. I would recommend that the star style tightening nobs be replaced with larger nobs. After about 20 setups the hands begin to get pretty sore. Like any other jig practice is necessary to make the fit perfect. After practicing on scrap I was able to get the alignment of all joints to within 1/32 or less every time. I would suggest the clamping screw be re-engineered. I also use sandpaper to assist in the hold down. I built an aluminum jig which replicated the length and width of the beadlock. This gives me better control of the alignment than using a beadlock to mark your beadlock locations. Perhaps the manufacturer could add this type of jig to the pro kit. The kit case could be set up to allow quick adjustment of the depth stop. Similar to the depth stop jig used in the Kreg tool kit. A better drill bit which extracts the cuttings would be helpful.

I received this as a gift and with the first use I was hooked. This is a heavy-duty product, very adjustable and virtually fool-proof if you follow the included guide. This makes good, strong joints and is expandable with optional accessories. So far, I have not needed anything more than what came with the kit. Really nice carry case too. If you compare the prices of this jig to other joinery tools, you will see it is really a bargain. Highly recommend.

I am a third generation Master Carpenter with 40 years experience. I have always made my Mortise and Tenon joints by hand. I am, was, in a time constraint and needed a little quicker way than old school. My wife bought me the Beadlock Pro system to try. I am sold on Beadlock Pro. After some tweaking and playing with the jig, it is fairly easy to use and set-up. I had to adjust several things straight out of the box but well worth the time. Makes an extremely nice joint. I won't use it on every piece I build but I will be using it. Nice product!

I used both the 1/2&quot; and 3/8&quot; set-up, as well as the 1/2&quot; router bit stock cuter. Getting the stock cut correctly was tricky, but it worked well. The Beadlock system worked VERY WELL. I used it for mortise and tennons on 4 1/4&quot;, 2 1/8&quot;, 1 1/4&quot;, and 3/4&quot; pieces (all for a Mission-style bed). The 4 1/4&quot; piece was outside its range, so I took off the blue sides centered the guide, put it on my mark, clamped both ends, and it worked perfectly. I also had to use an irregular shape on one side and pieces that were too small to work and some that were too close to the edge - I simply put other pieces of wood where needed and got the desired effect. There is a little layout needed to center Beadlock, but I cut all of the mortises for each size together. The plans called for 10 mortise & tennon joints -I turned it into 20 Beadlock joints and did all of them in less time than it would have taken for the original 10. I also have very strong joints as a result. This product is wonderful - I bought the entire line , so I can do all 3 diameters (1/4&quot;, 3/8&quot;, & 1/2&quot;) and make my own stock as well, that way the stock is the same species as the rest of the project!

I received the Beadlock Pro kit with the 1/2 inch kit a few weeks ago. Trying to learn to use it, I made several joints in as many variations as I could come up with. I would occasionaly make a joint that was not aligned well. I found that the culprit was stock that was narrow or angled for reinforcing miters. The single screw clamp built into the jig couldn't get a good enough bite if the foot of the clamp hung off the edge of narrow or angled stock. Sometimes the stock would slip a tiny amount, or it would come up slightly on the lightly clamped side. I resolved the problem by putting some adhesive-backed sandpaper on the face of the jig, and more importantly, started adding a small F-clamp once it was secured with the built-in screw clamp. Once I did those two things, my joints came out perfect. The joints come out cleaner than any M&T joint I have ever made, and they take probably 1/10 the time. One distinct advantage of the beadlock system over Festool's Domino system is that the Domino has a limited depth of mortise. I made some mortises that were rediculously deep, and the exceptionally long tenon seated perfectly. With the &quot;adjustments&quot; I made, I am very pleased with the jig.

I used this on a pedestal dining table and it worked great. After the first couple of uses I was able to quickly set up and complete the rest of the joints very easily. Like others have stated just take extra precautions to make sure you are lined up and this jig is a great tool. I used the 3/8 kit and the premade stock and it was a nice snug fit.

Just finished a dining stool project and I'm very happy with the Beadlock system. Once I got a flow going and understood how everything worked it went quicker than I thought, and most everything lined up great.

As you can see in the photos, it can be used as a dowel jig as well as with floating tenons. For the smaller pieces that wouldn't allow tenon stock I just centered the piece using two pieces of tape on the jig as reference and used the two center most holes to drill dowel holes.

Issues I ran into:

1. When I got to drilling the second set of holes, if I hit something hard in the wood, it would walk over to the side and the bit would want to fall into the original holes. This happens about 30% of the time. No amount of cranking down on the knobs prevented this. It was frustrating, but to remedy, just reset the holes back to their original position, reset the piece in the jig, then slide back over to the second set of holes and give it another shot.

2. As I mentioned above, no amount of cranking down on the work piece could prevent all walking. This is especially the case on smaller pieces that aren't completely covered by the hold down "disk". Would be nice to see a redesign that allows skinnier pieces to be held tight.

3. I'd pay more if all the knobs and pieces of the jig were just a bit "meatier". I felt a bit apprehensive in really cranking down on a couple of the knobs. And even if I did, when I hit some resistance in the wood, the holes sometime not only walked side to side, but front to back, and then the pieces didn't line up perfectly.

4. Wish they could figure out how to give this jig the ability to "self center". That would make this a really amazing tool. Centering I found to be a problem, that is, really getting it perfectly centered and staying there...see "walking" above. The other issue is that the reference marks on the jig to match up with the center line (that you have to mark) didn't line up with each other. Basically there are two separate marks on the side on two different pieces of the jig and they aren't in line with each other, so I didn't know which one of them to line up with my line. Important to keep the jig always referenced to the "outside" or "inside" of you work so that everything lines up.

5. I did have to clean out the holes with a small screwdriver. This was time consuming, but not a deal breaker.

6. Tenon stock price. These are very expensive. It's like buying a printer for cheap, then having to spend a lot on ink. Having to use dowels on a lot of my pieces kept the cost down on this project. Got a whole box of 3/8 dowel pins for a couple dollars.

Aside from the above issues, which were manageable, I'm very happy with my purchase overall. For around a hundred bucks (on sale), I feel that I got a hundred dollar jig, and then some. And my stools turned out great!

I bought the "pro-kit" to help build a set of bunk beds for my kids. The plans for the beds called for dimensioned lumber (up to 2x6") and many of the boards were face-joined at right angles. First off, the jig will not accommodate a 2x6", so I had a wider set of rails made for the jig for $50 at the local metal shop. I note here that Bead-Lock should provide a set of expansion-rails and studs to allow the jig to accommodate wider material. Second, when face-joining boards at right angles, there is no way to clamp the jig to one of the boards (the mortise will be rotated 90 degrees). The jig should have been engineered so that the drill guide could be rotated 90 degrees. I knew this limitation when I bought the jig, but thought I could remove the drill guide from the jig and clamp it to the work piece for those mortises. Well, let's just say that the drill guide assembly was not engineered to be removed from the jig and clamped to the work-piece. It was an exercise in frustration. In summary, this jig could have been designed to produce joints on all sides of a work-piece, but it wasn't. If you need to join on the face of the board, pass on this jig, just mark/drill for dowels. In the end, dowels are much cheaper and you don't need to buy special tenon stock or waste time making your own with a special $60 router bit.

I am not completely satisfied . Plastic knob on main hold down came loose. Had to epoxy back in place. Screws holding drill block in place caused block to move out of alignment when tightened. Corrected this by filing end of screw flat. Alignment lines on side used to center are black and hard to see. Corrected this by using a silver sharpie to color in these alignment marks. I would not buy one again.

Center mark is about 1/16 of an inch off. So when you are trying to join two pieces of equal thickness, they end up being 1/8 of an inch off. This might be acceptable in some applications, but not in the work I do. You could, of course, eyeball the setting to adjust for this inaccuracy. But you shouldn't have to do this for such an expensive jig. And when you think about it, the beadlock system is nothing more than a modified doweling system. So why not make it a self-centering design, as so many of the doweling jigs are. In fact, instead of the beadlock jig, I now reach for my self-centering dowel jig. It is more accurate than beadlock, and cost me only half as much.

This works perfectly. But, like many other tools and jigs around my small shop, I wish it were a little more versatile. This jig isn't intended to do much for face to edge joinery.

The two major limiting factors for this are material thickness and material width. Stock must be roughly 1 1/4" thick for the clamp to properly grip and lock the stock in place. And this jig won't accommodate anything over 3 1/2". So it is very limited those applications.

So with a bit of curiosity and some help from my friend Jerry and and his rigs i was able to find a way around this. I was working with 3/4" material that was 4" wide. I removed the front face of the jig (the piece with the clamp) and locked the back face into the tail vise on my workbench. This stabilized the jig plenty enough to use a couple quick clamps to lock my stock in place and keep everything in line. With this set up the jig functions as it normally would with no loss in performance or accuracy.

One limiting factor that remains is that I can still only drill the mortise parallel to the edge of the stock. And I can only go roughly 3 3/4" from the edge of the stock without the drill guide becoming sloppy while hanging off the guide rails.

I am trying to find a way to build a jig to hold the drill guide adequately so that I can drill perpendicular to the edge of panels that also will allow me to traverse at least 12" or so.

Sorry, I don't have pictures of the set up I used with the tail vise. But it really is just as simple as it sounds.

I've got both the Pro and Basic versions with the three sizes of templates and bits. I'll review both here and just add some more points. I've used them both for new construction and for repairing and strengthening furniture joints. Like others recommend, do some practice on scrap.The basic version works well and is a good buy for the money. It handles 3/4&quot; stock well but is not really meant for much off this {e.g., table legs or bed posts}. Shims are there if you just need a few 32nds of an inch. You'll have to set a bit depth stop with a piece of tape or other method. The Pro model has depth stop collars.The Pro version works well and the additional options add a bit of complexity. The square sided templates allow you to use a chisel to square up the sides. This allows you to use a floating tenon of flat stock.Since I have both, I usually have to re-read the directions as they set up a bit differently, the basic model from a center line and the Pro from the edge.If room is tight, you can rip the tenon stock to remove some of the width and drill fewer holes.With careful alignment, you can use the jig to make double tenons.The jigs work well as a doweling jig or to drill holes for inserting or replacing dowel joints.I like to call it &quot;The poor man's Domino.&quot; While it takes a little longer to cut the joints, I can spend the time to save the difference in cost.One other caveat is if you are planning to get the 1/2&quot; kit, be aware that the drill bit is a full 1/2&quot; at the end of the shank. So you need a drill with a 1/2&quot; chuck. Your standard 3/8&quot; chuck is not going to do it.

Just finished a small black walnut sofa table using the 1/4 Beadlock Pro Joinery Kit. It was easy to use (although the instructions were not that clear) and provided a good fit. I did make a temporary pass using pine before the finished product, and was very pleased. I have also used it for mortise and tenon joints without the beadlock tenons with good success.

I purchased this for a crib/bed that I am making. On some of the furniture that I have made, I used floating tenons due to the size of the parts (head and foot boards on a king size bed). I used a mortise pal and a plunge router. The floating tenon is great, but the use of a heavy router was not pleasant.

So with this project I decided to try the bead lock system after a fellow woodworker had used it on a similar project.

I have not made great use of it yet, but what I have done has been very good. A corded drill is much easier to handle than a big plunge router.

The only negatives I have are 1) the direction are somewhat confusing and 2) positioning of the drill guide (mostly centering). After making some mortises, I learned how to position it so that mortise position is correct!

I purchased this at the Maplewood store, and no one had any experience with it. The sales guy said I'd get tired of drilling holes. I have not yet. Besides all other options will take a lot of work too!

I just completed a 22&quot; X 66&quot; oak table for our church's alter using the 3/8&quot; beadlock tenons for the joinery connecting the legs to the apron and some cross stringers. It worked very well with the floating tenons fitting nicely together for glue up. I used two tenons on each face for strength in addition to a tenon on the lower leg for a cross brace and was worried that I may have trouble with alignment, however they fit with only a nominal amount of coaxing. I would recommend this system highly and plan on using it much more in the future. One small problem was that I ordered the half inch kit as well but did not realize that I would need a 1/2 inch drill to hold the bit, which or course I don't own. I wonder if there are adapters for 1/2&quot; bits in 3/8&quot; drills?

Used the 1/2 inch tenons to make breadboard ends for a table. This was a lot easier than the mortise and tenon method. Only negative would be I don't see the 1/2 inch tenon cutter available to make my own as purchasing the stock is a little expensive. Would recommend to a friend

My local tool store had a Domino out to try, and it was impressive, but I bought the Beadlock kit because I can't afford the more expensive tool. Beadlock is quite good. Setting up for a good fit is a little fussy, and I found using my end vise to hold the work piece with the jig attached essential. And the clamp holding the workpiece has to be VERY tight which is a problem with soft woods, but not with maple, oak, or poplar. Working the bit often is important, and even then cleaning out the mortise takes work. I found my dental probe very useful for this. If you take the time to line everything up carefully, clamp tightly, and clean out thoroughly you get a very good, tight joint that lines up nicely and holds well. I have used this for 6 mos now: If I hit the lottery I'll get a Domino but until then I'm happy with the Beadlock.

Relatively quick and straight forward method for doing loose tenons. But it seems like the product designers quit when the product was 80% there.

The knobs start to inflict pain on your fingers half way through a project. The sharp wings don't feel too great after you have to tie them and untie them repeatedly.

There is too much slippage with the drill guide. Better instructions on how to prevent that would be appreciated.

The instructions are lacking don't help with common scenarios, like narrow rails, or how to correct a mistake, or things to avoid. Can I align the jig with any line as long as I drill 3 holes...not in my experience.

I am a little disappointed that for $140 for a drill guide, I expected a better user experience but didn't get it. I did get a functional jig that allowed me to create some good, solid joinery, but not without issues.

My wife bought me this last year as a birthday present. I finally found the time and need to use it on a some cabinet doors for my shop. Unfortunately, I was disappointed with the results and can envision the amount of effort to maybe get a properly fitted joint. Here's what I discovered on my first attempt: The bell clamp is centered in the jig which makes it impossible to properly clamp anything narrower than 2 1/2' to 3"; so 2" rail and stile doors are difficult at best. I saw where someone padded the pieces to engage the bell clamp head entirely. The solution is to provide a sliding clamp, or more clamps strategically placed or just two on the edges with a bar tying them together. And the clamp is difficult to tighten and hold the stock steady under the drilling block. The jig needs something to push the stock up into the carriage assembly bottom. Still on the bad clamping design, the twisting action of the bell clamp head will move the wood, if one is not careful the holes go in at a slant. That can be partly remedied by attaching some 100 grit sand paper to the back fence just remember, when you've first done it, to reset the center line of the drilling block. Which, by the way, is off, as many times as I've tried marking with a knife blade on the exact center of the pieces, the holes come out off-center. Fortunately both pieces are indexed off the same face so they are equally offset (sometimes). As for the drilling itself, I do recommend the higher and consistent speed of a corded drill. In soft wood at slower speeds you get a very sloppy torn up hole which allows the faces of the rail and stile to twist and not be co-planer. I shouldn't need face clamps when this jig purports to provide all that alignment. As far as the plastic knobs locking the drilling assembly in place I can live with. On the brighter side of things, I do appreciate the machining of the aluminum side, the drilling block, the carriage assembly, they have a feel of quality. The jig just falls short on the clamping. I just might give it another try once my frustration has subsided. Or I might revert to half laps, open mortises or even twin dowels and get there faster.

The specs for the kit did not mention the fantastic case for the entire set. This is one of the few times that I have been surprised so pleasantly. The designers must have planned to use it themselves; it has a place for 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2 guidees and accessories. This is a great tool kit and Rockler should take credit for a job well done. Thank you.

The directions are well done but you should do some practice cuts before using on an actual project. There is some learning curve when joining wood of different sizes. I did find that when making the second set of drill holes a flash light helped determine which holes to drill.

One improvement that could be made is to include storage space for the loose tendon stock in the storage case.

Yesterday I tested my new Beadlock Pro (3/8" kit) and was very impressed! I will be using the joinery system to build a crib and also a country style dining table. Follow the directions and you will be surprised a how great this tool works. I tested the kit on some 3/4" stock and everything lined up great. Yes...there will be some slight sanding but that should be expected (you're working with wood). I envision many more uses for this kit in my shop!

I thought the BeadLock Pro Joinery Kit worked just like it was advertised, and the instructions were easy to understand, too. Straight out of its case, everything was in order and ready to go. Like every new tool, once you've become familiar with it, you'll get the best results. I got great results right away! My &quot;test&quot; project was a Monkey Swing seat made out of maple, and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out. I agree the markings on the unit are a little wide, but if you're careful, and line everything up the same way each time, you won't have any problems. I didn't. It all comes down to common sense. Don't expect the tool to make the project for you while you go and get a cup of coffee. I have a long line of projects waiting to use the BeadLock Pro Joinery Kit on!

Holy cow this is beefy and solid! I guess the pictures led me to believe it was a fairly small jig, but it is big and well put together. Furthermore, the Beadlock Pro jig is a great package and for a great price. I was also surprised to get the storage container that had space for the optional kit parts. It's a great package, well contained, that will see a lot of use.